The Nature of the Soul

Pūjyacaraṇa Narottamānanda Prabhu^[1] was a disciple of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda and a very good Bhāgavat speaker. Once, when he went for preaching along with some other brahmacārīs, a police officer named Mr. Banerjee hosted the preaching party. Mr. Banerjee knew Śrīla Gurudeva to be a very faithful devotee so he invited him to his house. At that time Śrīpāda Narottamānanda Prabhu was giving hari-kathā in Bengali but Śrīla Gurudeva did not know Bengali, and Śrīpāda Narottamānanda Prabhu did not know Hindi, so they discussed hari-kathā together in english.

First of all, Śrīpāda Narottamānanda Prabhu explained the truth of the living entity (jivātmā), quoting from various scriptures. “Tiwarijī, please listen while I speak from Bhagavad-gītā and the Bhāgavatam, about the nature of the soul (jīvātma). You are not this physical body. You are an eternal servant of Kṛṣṇa. It is mentioned in scripture (Śrī Caitanya-caritāmṛta, Madhya-līlā 20.108–109):

The jīva’s constitutional position is to be Kṛṣṇa’s eternal servant because he is the marginal potency of Kṛṣṇa. The jīva is a manifestation simultaneously different and non-different from Him, like a molecular particle of light from the sun, or a spark from fire. Kṛṣṇa has three categories of energy: the spiritual potency, the marginal potency and the material, external potency.

Narottamānanda Prabhu then said, “The jīvātma neither takes birth nor dies, nor does he experience repeated creation or growth. He is unborn, eternal and ever-existing. Though primeval, he remains ever-youthful. When the body is destroyed, the jīvātma is not destroyed” (Bhagavad-gītā 2.20).

In his Prakāśikā-vṛtti commentary on this verse, Śrīla Gurudeva explains:

The eternal nature of the soul has been established in this verse. He is beyond birth and death, and he is eternal and ever-existing. He is not destroyed when the body is destroyed. Consequently, the soul is devoid of the six types of transformations of the material body: birth, duration of existence, growth, procreation, diminution and death.

In the Kaṭha Upaniṣad (1.2.18) a similar conclusion is given:

न जायते म्रियते वा विपश्चिन् नायं कुतश्चिन् न विभूव कश्चित्
अजो नित्यः शाश्वतोऽयं पुराणो न हन्यते हन्यमाने शरीरे

na jāyate mriyate vā vipaścin nāyaṃ kutaścin na vibhūva kaścit
ajo nityaḥ śāśvato'yaṃ purāṇo na hanyate hanyamāne śarīre

[The meaning of this verse is the same as Gītā 2.20, but here, the word vipaścit, which means ‘one who knows the self’ is used.] Bṛhad-āraṇyaka Upaniṣad (4.4.25) also verifies this conclusion: sa vā eṣa mahān aja ātmājaro’maro’mṛto’bhayaḥ. “The ātmā is indisputably great, unborn, deathless, free from old age, immortal and fearless.”^[2]

Narottamānanda Prabhu then recited the following verses:

वासांसि जीर्णानि यथा विहाय नवानि गृह्णाति नरो’पराणि
तथा शरीराणि विहाय जीर्णान्य् अन्यानि संयाति नवानि देही

vāsāṃsi jīrṇāni yathā vihāya navāni gṛhṇāti naro’parāṇi
tathā śarīrāṇi vihāya jīrṇāny anyāni saṃyāti navāni dehī

Bhagavad-gītā (2.22)

Just as a person discards his old garments and acquires new ones, the jīvātma similarly gives up old, useless bodies and accepts new ones.

In his Sārārtha-varṣiṇī commentary on this verse, Śrīla Viśvanātha Cakravartī Ṭhākura explains:

Śrī Kṛṣṇa tells Arjuna, “Is there any harm in giving up old clothes to accept new ones? You may say, ‘By fighting against Bhīṣma, You and I will be the cause of the soul named Bhīṣma giving up his body.’ To this I reply that Bhīṣma will simply give up his old and useless body and take a new body. How can you or I be blamed for this?”^[3]

Narottamānanda Prabhu continued:

नैनं छिन्दन्ति शस्त्राणि नैनं दहति पावकः
न चैनं क्लेदयन्त्य् आपो न शोषयति मारुतः

nainaṃ chindanti śastrāṇi nainaṃ dahati pāvakaḥ
na cainaṃ kledayanty āpo na śoṣayati mārutaḥ

Bhagavad-gītā (2.23)

The jīvātma can never be pierced by any weapon, burned by fire, moistened by water nor dried by the wind.

अच्छेद्योऽयम् अदाह्योऽयम् अक्लेद्योऽशोष्य एव च
नित्यः सर्व-गतः स्थाणुर् अचलोऽयं सनातनः

अच्छेद्योऽयम् अदाह्योऽयम् अक्लेद्योऽशोष्य एव च
नित्यः सर्व-गतः स्थाणुर् अचलोऽयं सनातनः

acchedyo'yam adāhyo'yam akledyo'śoṣya eva ca
nityaḥ sarva-gataḥ sthāṇur acalo'yaṃ sanātanaḥ

Bhagavad-gītā (2.24)

The jīvātma is indivisible, insoluble and cannot be burned or dried. He is eternal, all-pervasive^[4], permanent, non-moving and ever-existing.

Narottamānanda Prabhu said, “This is what Bhagavad-gītā tells us about the jīva. Now, Tiwarijī, please listen to what the Bhāgavatam has to say on this subject.”

He started reciting ślokas from the Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam as follows:

आहुः शरीरं रथम् इन्द्रियाणि हयान् अभीषून् मन इन्द्रियेशम्
वर्त्मानि मात्रा धिषणां च सूतं सत्त्वं बृहद् बन्धुरम् ईश-सृष्टम्

āhuḥ śarīraṃ ratham indriyāṇi hayān abhīṣūn mana indriyeśam
vartmāni mātrā dhiṣaṇāṃ ca sūtaṃ sattvaṃ bṛhad bandhuram īśa-sṛṣṭam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.15.41)

It is said that the material body, which is created by the Supreme Lord, is like a chariot. The senses are the horses; the mind or master of the senses, is the reins; the objects of the senses are the various destinations; intelligence is the chariot driver; and consciousness, which spreads throughout the body, is the cause of bondage in this world.

अक्षं दश-प्राणम् अधर्म-धर्मौ चक्रेऽभिमानं रथिनं च जीवम्
धनुर् हि तस्य प्रणवं पठन्ति शरं तु जीवं परम् एव लक्ष्यम्

akṣaṃ daśa-prāṇam adharma-dharmau cakre'bhimānaṃ rathinaṃ ca jīvam
dhanur hi tasya praṇavaṃ paṭhanti śaraṃ tu jīvaṃ param eva lakṣyam

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.15.42)

There are ten vital life-airs moving within the body. These ten life-airs are compared to the spokes of the chariot’s wheels; the top and bottom of the wheels themselves are religion and irreligion.

The owner of the chariot is the living entity in the bodily concept of life. The bow is the mantra known as praṇava; the arrow is the pure living entity himself; and the target is the Supreme Lord.

रागो द्वेषश् च लोभश् च शोक-मोहौ भयं मदः
मानोऽवमानो’सूया च माया हिंसा च मत्सरः
रजः प्रमादः क्षुन्-निद्रा शत्रवस् त्व् एवम् आदयः
रजस्-तमः-प्रकृतयः सत्त्व-प्रकृतयः क्वचित्

rāgo dveṣaś ca lobhaś ca śoka-mohau bhayaṃ madaḥ
māno'vamāno’sūyā ca māyā hiṃsā ca matsaraḥ
rajaḥ pramādaḥ kṣun-nidrā śatravas tv evam ādayaḥ
rajas-tamaḥ-prakṛtayaḥ sattva-prakṛtayaḥ kvacit

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.15.43-44)

enemies take the form of attachment, hostility, greed, lamentation, illusion, fear, madness, pride, insults, fault-finding, deception, envy, intolerance, passion, bewilderment, hunger and sleep–which the living being experiences by contact with rajas and tamas. Sometimes the living being’s conceptions are influenced by sattva also.

यावन् नृ-काय-रथम् आत्म-वशोपकल्पं धत्ते गरिष्ठ-चरणार्चनया निशातम्
ज्ञानासिम् अच्युत-बलो दधद् अस्त-शत्रुः स्वानन्द-तुष्ट उपशान्त इदं विजह्यात्

yāvan nṛ-kāya-ratham ātma-vaśopakalpaṃ dhatte gariṣṭha-caraṇārcanayā niśātam
jñānāsim acyuta-balo dadhad asta-śatruḥ svānanda-tuṣṭa upaśānta idaṃ vijahyāt

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.15.45)

So long as one has the chariot of this human body, with its various parts and paraphernalia, one must accept the shelter of the feet of his superiors–namely, of his guru and the Vaiṣṇavas. By their mercy, one can sharpen the sword of knowledge and by the strength of the Supreme Lord defeat the enemies listed previously. In this way a person should become fully satisfied by the transcendental bliss within him and then, free from material contamination, he may give up the material body.

नोचेत् प्रमत्तम् असद्-इन्द्रिय-वाजि-सूता नीत्वोत्पथं विषय-दस्युषु निक्षिपन्ति
ते दस्यवः सहय-सूतम् अमुं तमोऽन्धे संसार-कूप उरु-मृत्यु-भये क्षिपन्ति

nocet pramattam asad-indriya-vāji-sūtā nītvotpathaṃ viṣaya-dasyuṣu nikṣipanti
te dasyavaḥ sahaya-sūtam amuṃ tamo'ndhe saṃsāra-kūpa uru-mṛtyu-bhaye kṣipanti

Śrīmad-Bhāgavatam (7.15.46)

If one fails to take shelter of the Supreme Lord Acyuta and of Baladeva Prabhu, then the senses (which are compared to horses) and the intelligence (which is compared to the driver) will inattentively bring the chariot of this body to the path of sense enjoyment. When one is thus allured again by the dacoits of sense enjoyment, the horses and chariot driver are thrown into the dark well of material existence, where one suffers the terrible fear of death.

Narottamānanda Prabhu deeply impressed upon Śrīla Gurudeva that we cannot take any material possessions we acquire in this world with us at the time of death. He then related a story that he had heard from his spriritual master, Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda.

Footnotes and references:

[1]:

Narottamānanda Prabhu was a disciple of Śrīla Bhaktisiddhānta Sarasvatī Ṭhākura Prabhupāda. Later he took sannyāsa and became Śrīpad Bhaktikamala Madhūsudhana Gosvāmī Mahārāja. He was personally responsible for bringing Śrīla Gurudeva and Śrīla Trivikrama Gosvāmī Mahārāja to their guru, Śrīla Bhakti Prajñāna Keśava Gosvāmī Mahārāja in Devānanda Gauḍīya Maṭha in Navadvīpa.

[2]:

From Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā with the Sārārtha-varṣiṇī Prakāśikā-vṛtti commentary by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja (Third english edition, CC-BY-ND. Gaudiya Vedanta Publications 2010)

[3]:

From Śrīmad Bhagavad-gītā by Śrī Śrīmad Bhaktivedānta Nārāyaṇa Gosvāmī Mahārāja (Third english edition, CC-BY-ND. Gaudiya Vedanta Publications 2010)

[4]:

The term sarva-gatah (all-pervasive) in this context is not the same as the Lord’s all-pervasiveness. The living entities are situated everywhere. In his purport to this verse, Śrīla Gurudeva writes: “Here the word sarva-gatah (all-pervasive) indicates that due to his own actions the jīva transmigrates through all the species of life such as devas, human beings, animals and birds.”